MAN ELECTROCUTED; WIFE CRITICALLY BURNED
Robert E. Cooper is dead, his wife critically burned and a patient
at Bothwell Hospital in Sedalia and the man's sister suffered severe hand
burns and a head laceration when she attempted to assist the pair after
their car had come n contact with a high voltage wire which was draped
across Route in, southeast of Versailles near the old Coal Bank Road,
during the early morning hours.
Dead is Robert E. Cooper, retired Rock Island maintenance employee,
who with Mrs. Cooper had gone to the home of his sister, Mrs.Mollie Wood,
and Jewell Williams, 10 miles southeast of Versailles Wednesday night,
April 17, for a visit. They arrived about 7 o'clock in the evening.
According to Jewell Williams, who testified at a coroners inquest
here Monday afternoon. Mr. & Mrs. Cooper left the Woods/Williams home
about 12:30 or 12:45 Thursday morning. Due to the heavy rain that
evening and the dense fog which made visibility very bad, the Coopers
decided to return to Versailles through Barnett, thus avoiding any
possibility of getting tied up by high water in the creeks between the
Woods home and Versailles. Mr. Williams said that shortly after the
Coopers left their home he and Mrs. Woods prepared for bed, but that in a
very short time, they heard the sound of a car horn. When the horn
continued to blow, they sensed trouble. Both dressed and went down the
road toward the sound of the horn. A short distance from their home Mr.
Willams and Mrs Woods found the Cooper car, a 1950 Chevrolet Tudor
standing by the side of the road. Mr. Cooper was lying on the ground,
with his feet under the running board of the car and his head in the
ditch. Mrs. Cooper was standing in the road Mr. Williams said Mr.
Cooper was not dead when he arrived on the scene and that Cooper told him
he was cold. Williams rolled up a leather jacket and placed it under
Cooper's head Williams said the 7200 Volt line was still hot at the time
because he saw the arc when the line either flopped against the car or
ground. All Mrs. Cooper said, Mr. Williams testified was "Bob's dead".
Wray McKinley, another witness at Monday's inquest, said he was awakened
about 2:25 a.m.Tuesday morning by Glen Gardner, a neighbor, who wanted to
use his telephone to call for an ambulance and a doctor. The McKinley
phone was used also to call Union Electric to tell them of the downed
lines. Going to the scene of the accident, Mr. McKINLEY said Mrs. Cooper
was sitting in the car at that time. He said he did not see Mr. Cooper
but presumed he was lying on the other side of the car, where his body
remained until the dangers of rescuers coming into contact with the hot
line had been eliminated. Mr. McKinley said that shortly after he
arrived, Mrs. Mollie Woods came in contact with the wire or ground. She
suffered severe burns and a laceration of her head. She was treated at
the Gunn Clinic and released. Willard Stephens, Eldon, trouble shooter
for Union Electric, said he and a helper restored the wire to its proper
place. He voiced the opinion that a direct lightning strike had caused
the line to break away from the pole. He did not say he saw any damage
to the pole, but testified he could "smell" the lightning. The last
witness was Sheriff J.T. Hull, whose testimony followed the same line as
those who preceded him to the stand. The inquest was conducted by Gene
N. Bartram, coroner, assisted by prosecuting attorney Wiliam G. Johnson.
Members of the jury were Hugh Hart, Sam Guenther, Jim Frye, Dave White,
I.A. Wenger and Jess Nobles. Atty. Harry Kay observed the proceedings
for Union Electric. Atty. Thomas G. Woolsey was an observer for the
Cooper family. The verdict was that Cooper died of electrocution.
Previous to the inquest, the jurors had been taken to the scene of the
accident and had viewed the body at the Kidwell Funeral Home. Mr.
Gardner said when he arrived at the scene the hot wire was clearing the
car by only 3 or 4 inches and was about 18 inches off the ground.
Raymond Garber, driving an ambulance for Kidwell's said when he arrived
at the scene Cooper was lying with his feet under the front of the car
and that Mrs. Cooper was lying on the ground about 10 feet away. Mrs.
Mollie Woods was also lying in the road. Mrs. Cooper was taken to
Bothwell Hospital in Sedalia. Dr. Jack Gunn, who went with the ambulance
said from all indications Cooper was dead when he arrived. Mrs. Cooper,
Dr. Gunn testified, had severe burns on both hands, face, scalp and
chest. Trooper Donald Slavens said he arrived at the scene of the
tragedy about 4 a.m. and at that time Cooper's body was still lying in
the same position described by previous witnesses. Trooper Slavin said
the left front tire of the Cooper car was flat and had a big hole burned
in it. Pieces of an insulator from the power line pole wee picked up at
the scene. The pole from which the power line had fallen was said to
have been located about 75 yards from where the Cooper car stopped. W.
Bruce James, Rt 3, Eldon, engineer for Union Electric said he received
the trouble call about 2:50 a.m. He alerted the company's trouble
shooter and then drove to the scene of the accident. He said when he
arrived, the power line was still down in the road and was about an inch
away from the car. James said he could not see any damage to the pole,
although he admitted he did not climb the pole to see if any damage had
been done to the top, perhaps by a bolt of lightning.
(note..Mrs. Cooper was the former Miss Sarah McGinnis).
(note..Daughter of David Newton & Annie (Purl) McGinnis).